Best PDF Tools for Mac Users in 2026

Preview is genuinely capable for basic PDF work. It can annotate PDFs (highlight, add text, sign with a trackpad), rearrange pages by dragging in the sidebar, rotate pages, merge PDFs (by dragging one PDF's thumbnail into another's sidebar), split PDFs (by dragging pages out), and export PDFs as images at custom resolutions. For many casual PDF tasks, Preview handles everything you need at no extra cost. The gaps become apparent with: compression (Preview's export creates larger files than tools using Ghostscript), format conversion (no PDF to Word or PDF to Excel), watermarking, password protection (Preview can encrypt PDFs but the option is buried and limited), and page numbering. Preview's merge function also requires both PDFs to be open simultaneously and can be confusing for users who are not familiar with the sidebar drag workflow.

1. 1Use Preview for: annotation, signing, rotating pages, and basic page reordering
2. 2Use LazyPDF for: compression, conversion to Word/Excel, watermarking, and password protection
3. 3For merging: Preview works but requires both files open — LazyPDF merge is simpler
4. 4For splitting: Preview's drag-out method works but LazyPDF's page range approach is faster

This is where Preview most visibly falls short. Preview's File → Export as PDF with Quartz Filter offers a 'Reduce File Size' filter, but this filter often produces poor results — over-compressing images to an ugly quality while not reducing file size as much as a proper Ghostscript compression. The Quartz filter is widely regarded as one of the weakest compression options available on any platform. For Mac users who need real compression, LazyPDF's compress tool — which uses Ghostscript on the server — consistently delivers 60–80% size reduction on image-heavy PDFs. PDF Squeezer is a popular paid Mac app (one-time purchase around $9) that provides Ghostscript-quality compression natively. PDF24's desktop app is a free option that works on macOS with good compression quality. For occasional use, LazyPDF requires no installation, making it the most practical choice for Mac users who need to compress a file now without installing anything.

1. 1Avoid Preview's 'Reduce File Size' Quartz filter — the quality/compression ratio is poor
2. 2Use LazyPDF compress for the best free Ghostscript-powered compression in a browser
3. 3PDF Squeezer (paid, ~$9) is the best native Mac app for local Ghostscript compression
4. 4PDF24 desktop provides free compression for Mac without the upload needed by browser tools

Preview's PDF merging works but requires a workflow that many users find non-intuitive: open the main PDF in Preview, open the Thumbnail sidebar, drag pages from a second PDF (shown in Finder) into the sidebar at the desired position. It works, but there is no clear indication of page order, no drag-and-drop from a file picker, and no visual preview of the second document before merging. LazyPDF's merge tool is simpler: upload multiple PDFs, drag to reorder the files, click merge. The file-level ordering (not page-level) is sufficient for most merge scenarios and is easier to understand at a glance. For splitting, Preview requires dragging pages out of the sidebar to Finder to create new PDFs — a two-step process that is not obvious. LazyPDF's split tool with page range specification is faster for common split scenarios. PDF Expert for Mac ($79.99 one-time or subscription) provides the best native Mac PDF management experience with an intuitive interface.

1. 1For simple merges: LazyPDF is faster and more intuitive than Preview's sidebar drag method
2. 2For complex page-level merging from multiple sources: Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDF Expert
3. 3For splitting by page range: LazyPDF's split tool is more explicit than Preview's drag-out
4. 4PDF Expert — best native Mac experience for regular PDF management tasks

macOS does not include native PDF to Word or PDF to Excel conversion. Microsoft Word on Mac can open PDFs directly (File → Open), applying its built-in conversion — this is the simplest approach for Mac users with Microsoft 365. The quality is reasonable for simple documents but struggles with complex layouts and tables. LazyPDF handles PDF to Word and PDF to Excel conversion using LibreOffice on the server, providing good quality for most documents without requiring any software beyond a browser. For high-volume or high-quality conversion needs, ABBYY FineReader for Mac is a premium option with excellent accuracy. LibreOffice itself can be installed on Mac for free and handles PDF import via File → Open — the same technology LazyPDF uses server-side, now running locally on your machine.

1. 1Microsoft Word on Mac: File → Open → select PDF — fastest for Microsoft 365 users
2. 2LazyPDF: upload PDF, download .docx — best free browser-based option
3. 3LibreOffice (free, install required): opens PDFs natively, exports to .docx locally
4. 4ABBYY FineReader for Mac: best accuracy, especially for scanned documents

Preview can add password protection to PDFs: File → Export as PDF → check 'Encrypt' and set a password. This works and applies AES-128 bit encryption, which is respectable. However, Preview does not let you set granular permissions (blocking printing or copying separately from the document open password). For Mac users who need permission-level control — blocking editing but allowing viewing, for example — LazyPDF's protect tool provides this through qpdf. Alternatively, Adobe Acrobat on Mac offers the most control over PDF security settings. For unlocking PDFs where you have the password and need to remove it, LazyPDF's unlock tool is more straightforward than Preview's method (which requires entering the password on open, then exporting without encryption).